Aziz Yıldırım says Fener might quit league

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Fenerbahçe chairman Aziz Yıldırım (C) has been jailed pending charges since July 2011.

Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yıldırım, who is jailed pending match-fixing charges, struck out at the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) decision to ban two board members from the Istanbul club, saying that withdrawing from the league is in the cards.

Yıldırım, who is the highest-profile suspect in the ongoing match-fixing case and has been jailed pending charges since July 2011, released a statement following a three-year ban on board member İlhan Ekşioğlu and one-year ban on vice chairman Şekip Mosturoğlu for their involvement in match-fixing and attempts to manipulate games from last year’s Spor Toto Super League.

Ten players and officials were given one to three-year bans, but the clubs were cleared of charges.
“Those who think that they can give Aziz Yıldırım hush money by labeling two club members scapegoats and clearing Fenerbahçe, will be answered duly,” Yıldırım, who announced he would run for another term as Fener chair in the May 19 elections, said in a statement. “Those officials will take part in the new board as well.”

Yıldırım implied that they may consider withdrawing Fenerbahçe from the football league.

“The Fenerbahçe board may consider a few sanctions, including withdrawing from the contest, if similar unjust decisions are made,” he said.

Meanwhile, chairman Yıldırım’s lawyers yesterday applied to the Ministry of Justice for overturning his arrested status.